My Light
by RhiDaBatch3
Summary: Bakura starts to notice a few things about Ryou that lead him to raise a few questions. Tendershipping. BoyxBoy If you don't like, kindly GTFO of my mansion. kthx. Rated 'M' for Cursing and Blood.
1. Prologue

My Hikari. My white haired landlord. The one who holds the Sennen Ring and my soul.

Or did.

Ever since the Sennen items were vanished and the Pharaoh went back to his own time, Ryou is no longer connected to me. We no longer have a link. I am not longer connected to the boy. Which means he is free of me and never has to deal with me again.

Yet I am still living in his house. I'm still using his stuff. He is still doing things for me.

Those doe brown eyes I catch looking at me but quickly fall to the floor when my own gaze meets his. He shy's away from everything, but to me as well. His pale cheeks flush more and he's still so jumpy…

Did I really hurt him that much?

I know I'm not the most 'nice' of beings and I put him through a lot. But he never told anyone. He never once got mad at me. Not to say he approved of me, but he never held it against me. If he did, why would he let me be here? When I have my own body. I don't need his fragile small one to survive anymore. But he has yet to kick me out. Tell me to leave and never come back.

Why is that?

Ryou has always been alone. I 'helped' him make friends but yet he was still alone. A part of me thinks that is why he didn't rid of the ring earlier. Though I am and was a pure evil voice, I never left him. I relied on him so of course I didn't. Ryou didn't know that though. Perhaps that is why he has yet to make me leave? I am the only one he thinks he has?

No that can not be. He as the Pharaoh's baka of a light and his 'friends'. He is no longer alone.

But… I haven't seen them in a long time. And Ryou has been home more and more. Normally he would stay after school with them. Never telling me why but I am no fool. I know good and well it was to avoid being around me. Why when he has friends that accept him does he still allow me to be here? (Not that it would matter. I would stay here rather Hikari allows it or not) Why has he not been around them? Why has he been coming straight home if he can not stand me?

Ryou has never been a boy of many words. Nor has he ever been one to talk to me unless forced. And I am not oblivious to why. I used, abused, and hurt him. I still do. My fragile Hikari. So easily bruised and cut. My temper takes the best of me at times. Always has. He knows this.

Yet I still sit here in this room with a shirt on my back and a roof over my head while he sleeps just a few rooms down.

Out of all of these questions, I have to ask myself this one; why do I care?


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A steady patter fell against the window as Bakura opened his eyes. His gaze looked toward the window where a light rain fell and painted the sky a dark gray. With a groan he sat up and cracked his neck getting to his feet. He never was much of a 'morning person'. The small clock beside his bed read 11:06 am and his stomach let out a low growl of disapproval.

Pulling an arm over his head to stretch his body more, Bakura walked out of his room where a spicy scent hit him. Ryou was awake and was apparently cooking. Naturally he thought. Another reason that set them apart. Ryou was an early riser. Bakura walked downstairs to see just what said Hikari was cooking and fill his stomach. When he reached the bottom step he stopped and listened.

There was no sound coming from the kitchen other then the familiar sound of food being prepared. Bakura stood still a littl. The boy always had humed when he cooked. It used to annoy the hell out of the Thief King. But now that he thought about it, Ryou hadn't been humming at all recently. That was what made him stop. Had he missed him humming? Bakura frowned at that and shook his head. _No, it was just nice having silence is all._ He told himself this then walked into the Kitchen.

He pulled a chair out from under the table, the dragging noise it made causing Ryou to jump. He looked back at Bakura and quickly turned back to face the stove. "Good morning Yami." He said quietly.

Bakura let out a yawn and propped his arm up on the table. "What's to eat?"

Ryou kept his back to Bakura and went on cooking. "Pork and Rice." Bakura almost couldn't hear his voice over the rain and he sighed, glancing back outside.

He gazed off for a while until a plate was set down in front of him along with a fork. Bakura glanced over at Ryou who then turned and walked back toward the stairs. He blinked a little when he saw Ryou had nothing in his hands to eat and there weren't any leftovers on the stove. "Where are you going?" The question was mumbled through a mouthful of rice as Ryou stopped at the base of the stairs.

"I… have homework to finish." He glanced back at Bakura but quickly went back upstairs. After a few seconds Bakura heard the soft click of Ryou's door being shut and he let out a sigh.

_What the hell? Why is he acting so different?_

It wasn't unlike him to be jumpy around Bakura. In fact if he WASN'T a little nervous, Bakura would be shocked. No he meant the soft spoken answers, the fact Ryou didn't have anything to eat for himself, and he was home more and more. Speaking of which… Bakura looked down at the meal Ryou had fixed him and took another bite. Questions could wait. Right now his stomach demanded attention.

**...**

After Bakura finished off the Pork and Rice he raided the fridge for something to wash it down with. His only choices were Milk, a pitcher of some sort of juice Ryou liked, and a few cans of soda. He pulled a can out and popped the top, deciding to go see what was wrong with his former host. Maybe if he could figure out why Ryou was so… different now, Bakura could go back to not caring.

He took a drink of the fizzy grape flavored beverage and walked up to Ryou's room. He was about to announce his presence as he walked in but something caught his attention before he could even walk through the door.

The bitter sweet smell of blood.

Panicked rose in the Thief and a part of him questioned why. Before he could wonder though, his feet were already inside the younger male's room, eyes searching for the boy. Ryou had the smaller bedroom, giving the bigger one to Bakura. There was not much different in size between the two small rooms other then the furniture in them. So it didn't take long for Bakura to see the boy's blue jeans and white socks sticking out from behind the dresser. Quickly he went over and sucked in a gasp at what he saw.

Ryou was bleeding from numerous gashes along his left arm and in his right hand he grasped one of Bakura's switchblades. His pale skin seemed even paler and he had his head down so his snow-white bangs fell in his face. Tears trailed down the boys face and the fell against his torso like the rain outside. The white T-shirt he wore was stained with the dark crimson liquid falling from his wrist and Bakura let out a small growl. "What the hell are you doing?"

The boy didn't show any sign that he even knew Bakura was there. He quickly swatted the knife out of Ryou's hand and forced the boy's eyes to meet his gaze. "Ryou what did you do?" Ryou didn't meet him, his brown eyes glassy from tears. Letting out another annoyed growl he let Ryou's head drop back down and stood, quickly running out of the room. He past the grape-flavored drink he had dropped on his way to the bathroom and swung open the door. Grabbing a towel at random, he rushed back into Ryou's room.

The boy hadn't moved an inch and other then the tears still falling from his cheeks, Bakura would have assumed him dead. "You are an idiot! What did you go and do a thing like this for?" Bakura held Ryou's arm out and dabbed the wounds with the towel to try and judge how deep the wounds were. When they just bled more, Bakura let out a small swear and pressed the towel to Ryou's arm in an attempt to slow the bleeding. "Get up. We need to fix up the wounds." Ryou didn't move and still didn't show any sign that he even heard the gruff voice ordering him to stand. Bakura growled annoyed and jerked up Ryou's gaze to meet his own. "I said STAND boy. Or I will force you up." The boy just slumped back lower and let his head fall back down.

Growing more annoyed and… worried? about the boy, Bakura stood and pulled Ryou up as he did. He put one of his arms behind the boy's legs and the other on his back to carry him bridal style. It was like there wasn't anything in his arms at all! This also bothered the thief king. Why did Ryou weigh next to nothing? Had he always been this small?

No time for such thoughts. Ryou's cuts had bleed through the towel and were now staining Bakura's own shirt. Cursing at Ryou's ignorance, he went back into the bathroom and set the boy down in the bathtub. Ryou slumped back against it, still showing no sign that he was even alive.

Bakura jerked the medicine cabinet open and tossed stuff out until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out the bandages and grabbed another towel, going over to Ryou and removing the bloody one. He wet the new one and stretched Ryou's left arm out, wiping away the blood. When he could at least make out where the cuts were, he started wrapping the bandage around Ryou's arm.

The blood already started to seep through but it stopped. It wasn't the best of bandaging jobs, but Bakura never had the need to do such a thing. Bakura sighed a little and looked at the boy. What in the hell was that about? Ryou was shaking now and he brought his blood stained blue jeans up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself.

The former Thief starred at the shaking boy a few seconds longer before sighing and kneeling down next to him. He slowly unwrapped Ryou's arms from around himself and pulled the t-shirt over the younger boys head. Ryou still showed no sign of life and this bothered Bakura. He didn't like this. His landlord was supposed to be happy and healthy. Not trying to injure himself and scared out of his mind.

He put the shirt on the floor and pulled off the younger boy's socks. Throwing them onto the shirt he stretched out Ryou's legs and carefully pulled the stained jeans off. Placing them on the pile of clothes, he looked at Ryou. "You are taking a bath Ryou. Either wake up enough to take off the boxers or I'm doing it for you." As he expected, Ryou still showed no sign he heard the older male's voice and Bakura gritted his teeth. It was taking all he had not to yell at the boy.

Bakura moved his hand down towards Ryou's leg, hoping the movement would clue the boy in on something and jerk back away. But nothing happened. He just kept starring off into space, tears falling from his eyes. He gripped the loose fabric of the boxers and pulled them off, throwing them onto the growing pile of clothes. To at least remain SOME dignity as to what he was doing, he made sure his eyes stayed away from the pale fragile form that was Ryou. No matter how bad his eye wanted to roam over the pale boy's body… NO.

Shaking his head, Bakura turned on the water and let the warmth fill the tub. During all of this Ryou had hugged his legs again and was now resting his chin on them. He didn't even realize he was sitting in a bathtub naked while Bakura kneeled down next to him.

Worried the younger boy might try and drown himself, Bakura sat down with his back to the wall after the tub was filled. The facet dripped a little while the rain outside picked up its pace. Closing his eyes Bakura listened and heard the faint breathing of Ryou. This reassured him a great deal.

But… Why? Why was he, the Great Thief King, so worried over the clumsy, fragile, and now depressed boy known as Ryou? Maybe it was pity. That would explain things. After all, the boy was at one point in time his only lifeline. But Bakura had never before cared for anyone other than himself regardless of what they had done for him. Why should he start now by playing nursemaid for his former host?

Frowning, Bakura looked back at Ryou who was still holding onto his knees as if they were a security blanket. This really did bother him. Ryou was never one to be sad or upset. He had a smile on his face no matter the occasion and he defiantly never tried to harm himself.

The Thief's eyes fell to Ryou's bandaged arm. He could tell it was still bleeding but not near as bad. The crimson wounds were finally starting to stop. He moved his gaze up to Ryou's face. The tips of his hair were wet from the bath and he still had his chocolate brown eyes covered by his bangs. This also bothered Bakura. He didn't like not being able to see Ryou's eyes…

With a sigh, Bakura got to his feet and took a towel from where Ryou kept them. "Come on. You've been in there long enough." He didn't expect an answer from the boy, but it would have been nice. As the water drained from the tub, Bakura wrapped the bluish-green towel around Ryou's slender shoulders. He had lost way to much weight. _What the hell is the boy thinking?_

Ryou stumbled when he was supporting himself and almost fell to the ground had Bakura not caught him and picked him up like he had before. As usual, Ryou didn't respond. Bakura bit his anger back and walked out of the bathroom, holding Ryou against his chest. When they were back in Ryou's room he helped the boy sit down and made sure the towel was around him. Then he went to the dresser and dug around to find something for the albino boy to wear. He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a baggy short sleeve t-shirt. It wasn't the most attractive of outfits, but it seemed comfy enough.

He then walked back over to Ryou and took the towel away, carefully sliding the t-shirt over the Hikari's fragile body. He then pulled the sweatpants on, doing his best to avoid looking at his former host. When Ryou was dressed in clean clothes, Bakura helped the boy back down onto the bed and pulled the blankets up to his chest. At the loss of contact, Ryou curled up into a ball, moving down into the blankets until his nose was covered.

Bakura watched, a frown falling on his face. Just what in the hell had triggered this? His gaze went over to where the knife still lay open on the floor, shimmering with Ryou's blood on the blade. When had Ryou even taken the thing? Bakura knew it was his because Ryou didn't believe in weapons. He was against harm. He was more of a… 'peacemaker' if you will. Going over to it, Bakura picked the blade up and walked out of the room. He went back to the bathroom and grabbed Ryou's bloody clothes. With a slight frown he wrapped the knife up in the shirt and pants and tossed them into a bag. He'd take them out with the trash later. Something told him Ryou need not see all the blood.

He then walked back into the light's room to see if he was okay. Ryou was still curled up but now he was visibly shaking. His brown eyes were wide and starring straight at the wall opposite his bed and his lips let out a small whimper, quivering. Something about this really got under Bakura's skin. He wasn't mad at Ryou so much at whatever was making him so scared. But… Why should he care? Him and Ryou were no longer were connected and he had no need for the boy anymore. …So why was he taking care of him?

Bakura could think about that later. Right now he just wanted Ryou to be happy. Or at least not like he was inside the Shadow Realm. Sighing in defeat with himself, he walked over to Ryou's bed and sat down on the floor, making sure he was blocking Ryou's view of the wall. "Ryou. Listen to me! You're okay. Nothing is going to harm you. I'll make sure of that. Get some rest little Hikari. Just… relax." Ryou was still shaking but his eyes seemed to clear up and he looked into Bakura's. He then did something that surprised Bakura.

With a shaky hand Ryou reached out slowly and touched his cold fingers to Bakura's face. At first only his fingertips dared touch his skin. But as he relaxed, Ryou ran his hand up to Bakura's hair then back down to his neck. Seeming satisfied that Bakura was really there and wasn't going to harm him, Ryou let his arm drop and he shut his eyes. Bakura stayed frozen, not sure what to make of what had just happened. He… liked the way Ryou's skin felt on his. It felt right…

No. He was still just… feeling pity for the boy. Bakura pulled the blankets back over Ryou's sleeping form but didn't leave the room like he had planned on. Rather he took one of the boy's spare pillows and propped it up against the nightstand. Between the rain falling outside and Ryou's slow breathing, the Yami was lulled into a peaceful sleep as the Hikari above him was pulled into the ongoing nightmare.

**...**

**NOTE:** Baah. Depressing I know. But I just got the urge to write Tendershipping lately. And I don't really see Bakura being a 'happy-go-lucky' free spirit. I imagine him more forcing Ryou to let him stay there. So please don't bash me! Reviews are like crack to me~!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ryou's eyes slowly opened as they adjusted to the change in light. His body protested for more sleep but he needed to wake up. He had school today. He sat up and looked around. It was cloudy outside so not very much light was coming in through the window. The hall light was on so he figured Bakura was already awake._ How strange. He usually doesn't get up until after I leave…_ Curious as to what the former thief was doing awake, Ryou stood out of bed and quietly walked down the hall.

He peered into the bathroom but nobody was there so Ryou walked over to Bakura's room and silently pushed the door open. When he was still gone, Ryou blinked but went downstairs. _Maybe he made himself breakfast today… _Doubtful. Bakura do something like cook? Ryou surpassed a smile and looked around downstairs. Still no sign of the other. "…Bakura?" Nobody answered him so Ryou walked into the kitchen to get something to eat.

_Maybe he just went out…_ Agreeing that is had to be that, Ryou walked over the fridge but froze when his eyes fell on the knife block. His heart skipped a beat and his hands started to shake. He then remembered what he had done. Nervous, Ryou pushed the sleeve up on his blue long sleeve shirt and looked at his arm. Nothing. There wasn't a single mark on his arm! Ryou sighed a little. A nightmare. It was all a dream. Just another bad dream. He let out a small sigh and finished his morning routine. Foods, clothes, make Bakura something, and then get on his way to school.

Locking the door to the small house behind him, Ryou jogged down the path he always took to Domino High. He rounded a corner into the city and stopped. There wasn't a soul around. He blinked a little confused and looked down at his watch. "Oh no! I'm running late!" Gripping his school bag tighter, he took off running for the school. Once he was through the gates he slowed his pace as not to get in trouble for running. Ryou pushed the school doors opened and jogged up to his class, opening the door. "Sorry I'm late! I was-"

Ryou stopped himself. The entire classroom was empty. Panic slowly rose in the boy but he shook his head. Must be a break of something. He turned and jogged down to another classroom to see if they knew where his class had gone. He pushed open the sliding door and peered inside only to see this class was also gone. "Where is everybody?"

The same pattern continued for the rest of the classes he checked. There was nobody in any of them! Ryou started to panic now, not bothering to calm himself down. He turned and ran back outside, running toward the familiar game shop close by. They wouldn't be all too happy to see him, but at least Ryou could reassure himself he wasn't mad. The door swung open, reveling the shelves stacked with games. A small bell announced his arrival and Ryou waited a few minutes for either the spiky haired boy of the old man to come out and see him.

Nothing. Ryou took a step further into the game shop, looking around for any sign of life. "Yuugi? ? Anzu? …Anybody?" Panic rose in the young British boy as he walked into the shop more. Like the school, there wasn't a single person here. Ryou quickly turned and ran back outside. _They must just be out and forgot to lock the door. Yes that has to be it._ He tried to calm himself as he ran somewhere he knew would be populated regardless of what time of day it was. When he saw the corner store, his heart dropped. Not a single living thing was around for miles.

The store was in the middle of a busy area. It was open 24/7 so people were constantly in and out of the building. It was also a busy part of the city. You could walk by at 4am and still see people walking around. But it was mid-day and not a single soul was around. _No… No no no NO!_ Ryou felt his heart lurch as he ran around the city. _I can't be alone again!_ _There has to be something, anybody else here!_ "Hello? Anybody? Please! Somebody!" Ryou screamed out as the clouds above him gave in and rain started to fall. It didn't faze the boy as he ran his uniform now completely soaked.

After what seemed like miles, Ryou fell back against a wall, trying to fill his lungs with air. It was pouring down rain and he was right beside a street, yet not a single car drove by. Not a bus in sight. "This can't be happening. I can't be alone." Ryou staggered up to his feet, panting and turned to look around him. "Somebody else has to be here. I won't be alone again!"

Then it hit him. Bakura. He had to be here! Bakura had never left him! Almost tripping over himself, Ryou pushed his legs faster until he was back in his neighborhood. The houses flew past as he ran, the rain making them seem like a blurry image. Ryou shoved the gates open, not bothering to stop when they tore at his jacket and cut one of his arms. "Bakura!" Wet hair was plastered to Ryou's slim face as he pulled out the keys and tried with shaky hands to open the door. When the familiar click was heard Ryou threw himself inside panting, and looked around the pitch black house. "Bakura? Are you here? Please! Please just say something!"

When he heard nothing, Ryou quickly went into the living room. Bakura often could be found on the couch. If he wasn't out or asleep, he was usually flipping through TV channels. Ryou would usually quietly sneak in and watch from affair as his former Yami was completely unaware. But now Ryou was making his presence known. "Bakura are you here? Please answer me!" Nothing. He was alone in the living room, the only faces being the one of his family in a picture frame. Tears were swimming in Ryou's eyes as he dashed back out and upstairs. "Bakura please I'm begging you!" He ran into the thief's room, praying he'd be sitting down flipping one of his knives up and down. When nobody was there, the tears started to fall from Ryou's eyes. "Please…! Bakura just… please! Yell at me, order me around, just- anything!"

Ryou slumped down on the stairs, hugging his knees to his chest. "I don't want to be alone… not again." He hated the feeling. Being alone and having nobody else there. Nobody to see, not another living being to justify your life, nothing to give you some comfort that you weren't alone. At least not completely. That's why he let… no wanted Bakura to live with him. Bakura had never left him. No matter what had happened Bakura had been with Ryou. He wasn't ever really alone. There was always the gruff voice of the Yami that reminded him he was alive and not alone. But now that voice was gone. There was not a voice ordering him to cook or telling him how worthless and weak he was… It was just Ryou. Alone again like he had been long ago.

"No… I won't be alone again." Slowly, Ryou rose to his feet and went down into the kitchen. Thunder clasped loudly outside as Ryou walked into the kitchen. His eyes were still swimming with tears as they combined with the water dripping from his soaked clothes and made a wet path on the floor. He reached a shaky out and grabbed one of the knives from the block he kept them in. "I don't want to be alone… I won't be alone." He sobbed to himself and fell back against the cabinets, lowering himself to the floor. "Why… Why are you gone? Bakura why did you leave me?" Ryou held the knife up to his throat, sobbing more as he closed his eyes for the last time. "I can't be alone again!" Blood trickled down his shirt as he shakily held the knife there and started to move it across.

"Ryou! Stop it!"

The loud familiar voice froze Ryou in place, but he frowned and kept the knife at his throat. "N-No! You left me! I can't be alone! I Won't… not again…"

"Ryou I never left! I'm standing right here! I swear to you I'm not gone! Open your eyes boy!"

He so badly wanted to open his eyes. Wanted to see if the owner of the voice was truly there. But he was already hurt enough. There was no reason to. "Go away! You left me! Just like everybody else did! Why should I trust-"

"Because I'm here!" Something forcefully grabbed his shoulders, strong fingers digging into his arms. Ryou choked out another sob but kept the knife there.

"You left. You left me to. You don't care. Let me die. Just please go away." Ryou sobbed more, wanting to open his eyes but afraid to face the fact that nobody was there.

"Hikari I AM real! I never left you! Open your eyes!" The familiar voice demanded again and Ryou gave in. He forced his chocolate orbs open and in a flash of lighting saw his reflection looking back at him. Only his reflection had darker eyes, different clothes, and his hair spiked up as horns.

"B…Bakura…?"

"Yeah it's me. Ryou give me the knife and it will be okay." Something warm fell over the hand Ryou gripped the knife in and slowly move his hand away from his neck. He was shaking from head to toe as Bakura skidded the knife across the floor and looked back at Ryou. "What the fuck are you doing? Do you know what you could have done? Ryou you could have killed yourself!"

Ryou's voice hitched in his throat as he stared at the man whose soul he used to be connected with. Another wave of tears hit him and Ryou threw himself at Bakura, sobbing into his chest. This cut the Thief off mid rant as he looked down at the boy. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Part of him wanted to hold the boy there. But he couldn't do that... "Ryou…"

On hearing his name, Ryou sobbed more and clung to Bakura's shirt. "Please don't leave me again… I'm sorry. I'm sorry Bakura. I'm so sorry…"

"Ryou shut up." Bakura put an arm around the younger boy's shoulders and held him there. "I'm not leaving you and I never did. I promise you. I'm not going anywhere." Ryou sobbed more and Bakura moved his other arm up and stroked the smaller boys hair. It was tangled and wet. Not at all how Bakura liked it, but it seemed to calm Ryou down. "It's okay Ryou… Just calm down."

A few more minutes went by but Bakura finally felt Ryou stop sobbing. He was still shaking but the sobs had stopped. Reluctantly Bakura let his arms free Ryou as he sat back and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry Bakura…" He tried to meet the thief's eyes but couldn't. He was afraid to. Not that Bakura would be angry with him, but because he didn't want to get up. He liked being in Bakura's arms. It was reassuring and comforted him into thinking he wasn't alone. But Bakura was only doing it to shut him up and Ryou didn't want to anger him anymore then he already had.

Bakura frowned a little but remembered the boy had managed to cut himself again before Bakura had found him. "Come on Ryou. Let's go fix you up." He stood and pulled Ryou to his feet.

Ryou looked at him and tilted his head. _But… I thought I was dreaming…_ It was then his body reminded him of what he had done and Ryou cried out, falling back down. Arms caught him moments before he impacted with the hard kitchen tile and steadied him on his feet. "Easy. Your body's still weak." Ryou looked up at Bakura who was now helping him up the stairs.

_What… happened to me?_ His eyes went down to his arm which was in serious amounts of pain. It was blood soaked with old and new blood. It was running down to his fingertips and falling against Bakura's shirt. Ryou tried to move his arm away but whimpered in pain. This got Bakura's attention and he frowned, lightly holding Ryou's arm where it was. "Don't try and move it anymore idiot." He tried to make his voice sound comforting but it was hard.

Once they were in the bathroom he helped Ryou sit on the side of the tub and unwrapped the shredded bandages from before. 3 new cuts were crossing the others, making some of the old wounds reopen. The collar of Ryou's shirt was stained red from where the blade had cut him, being held there. Growling annoyed in his head, Bakura grabbed a towel and wet it to try and wipe the blood from a few of the boy's wounds. Ryou winced in pain but didn't move. At least he was showing signs of live now.

"I… did this?" Ryou's voice was almost too hard to hear against the pouring rain but Bakura heard him. He glanced up at the boy but nodded once, wrapping the bandage around Ryou's arm. Ryou bit his lip and looked away. Bakura saw a few more tears slide from the doe eyes and he gritted his teeth annoyed. Why was he once again playing nursemaid to the suicidal boy?

"Lift your chin." Ryou did as told and Bakura wiped the blood away and held the towel there. He took Ryou's right hand in his and pressed it against the towel. "Hold that there to slow down the bleeding." Once again Ryou did as he was told and Bakura got to his feet.

He started to walk out to get a change of clothes for the boy again but a panicked hand grabbed the back of his shirt tail. "Where are you going?" Bakura looked back at Ryou who was looking up at him terrified.

"Just to get you something else to wear. I'll be right back." Ryou frowned a little but let him go, looking down at his bare feet. With a sigh Bakura walked out and into Ryou's room to find a different shirt for the boy. He grabbed a grey one from the dresser he had left open and walked back to the bathroom where the Hikari was looking at his feet. "Here. Let me help you." Ryou looked up to protest against Bakura helping him but before he could, Bakura had his arms raised and the bloody shirt off. A faint red dusted Ryou's cheeks so he looked down, praying Bakura hadn't noticed.

He had but decided against saying anything. Bakura pulled the grey shirt over Ryou's arms and carefully over his head. He pressed the towel back against Ryou's throat carefully and stood. "You need some rest." Ryou nodded once and tried to stand but his body gave in. He'd lost way to much blood and was too weak to stand on his own. Bakura picked him up which caused the red to darken on the pale boy's cheeks. Bakura grinned a little to himself but quickly shook his head. Pity. He reminded himself of this and placed Ryou back down on his own bed.

Shivering, Ryou snaked down lower into the blankets and rolled onto his right side and closed his eyes. Bakura stood there, watching him for a second. It didn't seem like this was happening. One minute he was sound asleep and the next he's being jerked awake by the sound of Ryou screaming. Screaming his name of all things… Coincidence. Nothing more. Bakura turned to leave but Ryou sat up, panic lacing the accent he spoke with. "B-Bakura…?"

The thief looked back at the boy and kept his frown on his face. "What?"

Ryou blushed more and looked down at the floor. "I… I was just wondering if… if…"

"Out with it boy." He didn't mean to sound impatient. Especially after all Ryou had been going through.

"W-Would you please… stay here with me? Just until I fall asleep…" Ryou glanced up at him but quickly let his gaze fall down to the floor.

Bakura just looked at him for a few seconds. He really did want to stay with him. Why… he wasn't sure. Maybe it was to make sure the boy didn't try and hurt himself again? Yes that had to be it. He would stay to be sure Ryou wouldn't try and harm himself. "Fine." Bakura walked back over to the bed and Ryou smiled happily. He moved over until he was against the wall and Bakura just looked at him. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you some room…?" Ryou said this as a question, afraid he was doing something wrong. He didn't want to sleep alone. He was trying to be careful and not scare off Bakura.

Bakura sighed a little and took one of the pillows and put it back against the nightstand. "I'm fine here."

Ryou frowned when he heard this and sat up. "N-No. Then you get the bed and I'll sleep on the floor." When he tried to stand his legs gave out, causing him to fall forward. Bakura grabbed him before he collided with the ground and put him back in the bed.

"No. You need to sleep in the bed."

Ryou frowned at him. "Then sleep up here with me. I can't rest well knowing you're on the floor." Bakura sighed annoyed but gave up and sat on the side of the bed. He'd wait till Ryou fell asleep then move back to the floor. Anything to shut the boy up. Ryou smiled a little and made room for him, leaning his head on one of the pillows. Bakura laid back and put one of his arms behind his head. _Just until he falls asleep. _He promised himself, glancing over at Ryou who already had his eyes closed, his knees curled up to his chest.

Bakura sighed and looked back up at the ceiling and shut his eyes. The storm outside was calming down and rain fell against the window. In the distance he could hear thunder as the storm passed on to the next town. He was on the verge of sleep when something moved against his side. Bakura's eyes snapped open and he looked to his left where Ryou had his bandaged arm clinging to Bakura's shirt. The boy was curled against the thief and his chest rose evenly. Bakura felt his face heat up but shook his head. "Ryou… move over." Nothing happened so Bakura gently tried to push the boy over a little. Ryou let out a light whimper and snuggled closer to the thief. Bakura sighed annoyed and looked back up at the ceiling. Knew this wasn't a good idea…

Next to him Ryou shivered and Bakura glanced down. With a defeated sigh he pulled the blankets up over the boy and moved his arm around him. If he was stuck here he might as well make himself comfortable. Ryou shifted and moved up so his head was resting on Bakura's chest. Well… Things could be a lot worse. Sighing a little, Bakura shut his eyes, unaware that his hand was stroking the sleeping boy's hair.

…

**NOTE:** Yus Yus it's done! 2 chapters in one day! GO MEEEE~! And It's not over yet so don't worry. Also I have the feeling Bakura kinda got out of character in places so sorry! I really hope its okay. But hey. If someone as cute as Ryou asks you to stay with them, in the name of Ra would say no?


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ryou's body was in serious amounts of pain. He inwardly winced when just trying to pull the blankets off hurt him. Beside him was a very warm source of heat so Ryou didn't mind having to lay there much, but he still would like to get into a different sleeping position. He lifted his left arm away from the warmth and rolled over to sleep on the left side of his body. He didn't even make it half way before a sharp pain went through his arm, causing him to cry out.

Beside him Bakura sleepily opened his eyes, mumbling some incoherent swear at some incoherent person. His half asleep mind started putting things together and he remembered where he was, why, and what had more than likely woke him up. He turned his gaze over to the timid boy beside him and frowned, sitting up. "What happened?"

Ryou gripped his arm, looking at it. "I just… rolled over wrong." He didn't want to meet Bakura's eyes. If he couldn't come to terms with himself of what had happened, how could he face Bakura? "Sorry for waking you…"

Bakura shrugged off the apology and reached out his hand to examine Ryou's arm. The boy flinched away and kept his eyes downward, not wanting Bakura to see him. I hadn't occurred to him yet that Bakura already knew how many cuts were there and was the one who bandaged them up the first time. "Ryou let me see your arm." He shook his head, keeping his eyes downcast. This earned him an annoyed sigh from the older man and he put his hand on top of Ryou's. Feeling Bakura's hand on his took Ryou by surprise and before he could pull away, Bakura had gently stretched out Ryou's arm and was examining the blood stained bandage. _Seems the bleeding stopped._ He cast a glance over at Ryou who was still looking away, a sad frown on his pale face.

Carefully letting Ryou's arm down, Bakura stood up and stretched, popping his neck. The clock beside Ryou's bed flashed 5 in the afternoon and he sighed. Seemed Ryou had finally gotten a goodnights rest. _And he isn't the only one._ He yawned and was about to ask Ryou just what the hell the past night was about when said Hikari's stomach let out a low growl. The Thief King looked back at the boy who was now holding his stomach as if to silence it. "Hungry?"

Ryou shook his head, wincing when the movement hurt him. "N-No…"

At this Bakura raised an eyebrow. Since when was RYOU of all people not hungry? "Are you sure? You sounded hungry." Ryou shook his head slowly this time, careful not to hurt himself. Bakura tried to think back to when the last time he'd seen the boy eat. When nothing came to mind, he frowned and started to walk out of the room. "You're eating something. Even if I have to shove it down your throat." He sighed to himself. _Why am I doing this? It's none of my concern if the boy wants to kill himself._

"B-Bakura!"

Ryou's voice stopped him in place and he looked back at him. "What?" Ryou didn't go on, but twisted his hands together nervously. Bakura frowned a little, growing hungry himself. "What did you want boy?"

"N-Nothing… never mind." Ryou lay back down on the bed, pulling the blankets over his curled up form. Bakura watched him for a few seconds then sighed and walked out of the room. He wasn't all too keen on leaving Ryou alone. After all. The boy was sobbing about that last night.

_Last night…_ Bakura frowned a little at the memories. He had been sound asleep until he heard Ryou calling out his name. It took him a while to register what was going on but when he heard it again, panic and fear laced in the voice coming from downstairs, Bakura was on his feet and down into the kitchen with grace only a Thief could posses. That's where he found Ryou clutching the butchers knife to his throat, cuts on his arm reopened from what looked like a half asleep attempt at what he had done earlier. Bakura found himself terrified for the boy. Which were 2 things the King of Thieves did not do. 1, care for others and 2, fear the sight of blood. But he was. The last thing he wanted at that moment was for Ryou to drag the sharp blade across his neck and see more of the crimson liquid fall from the boy's already weak body.

Bakura quickly shook his head as if to remove the thoughts from it. Once Ryou was alright, Bakura would leave to clear his head. Having once been connected to the boy was the problem. Ryou's body was once his so he just couldn't shake the feeling that Ryou was harming his property.

…Since when was Ryou his property?

Had he not spent the last few years calling Ryou 'landlord' for a reason? And hadn't he blamed it on pity the day before?

"That's enough!" Bakura spoke to nobody in particular and the silent kitchen didn't reply. He took a breath to clear his head then looked around. Just what in the name of Ra was he going to do? Ryou did all the cooking. He never had to worry about it let alone figure out how all the fancy-shmancy ovens and what not worked. He walked over to one of the cabinets, pushing cans out of the way until he something that caught his eye. It was a cup of noodles he'd seen Ryou make when he was running late for school. Deciding it was better than nothing, Bakura set the cup down and grabbed the kettle Ryou used to heat the water. The Stove was how the Hikari had heated it before so that's what Bakura did. He set the kettle down and when nothing happened, he frowned and kneeled down.

"Blasted mortals and their technology. What in the bloody hell was so hard about going outside and using a fire like Ra intended?" Grumbling to himself, he turned one of the knobs until a flame jumped out from one of the circles to close to Bakura's head then he would like. The Thief let out a growl of annoyance he moved the kettle over and let that flame heat the liquid. In the meantime he'd see if there was anything else he could make the boy eat.

Apparently Ryou had been avoiding shopping as of late. The cupboards which always held something or another were now bare and only held a few things that Bakura didn't even try to figure out. He moved onto the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of juice. It smelled like strawberries which was also the way Ryou's hair smelled.

That thought froze Bakura to his place in the kitchen. How in the hell had he known what the boys hair smelled like? He never even noticed before. Casting a glance down at his hands he remembered running them through the snow white strands of hair on Ryou's head and frowned. _Why in the bloody hell am I doing all of this?_ Bakura looked around the kitchen. He never once cared to cook for anyone. Nor had he ever cared if somebody hurt themselves or not. His brown eyes fell to the floor where he had tossed the knife away from Ryou the previous night. The blood was now dry and Bakura picked it up. He held it in his hand, remembering the way Ryou had held it and managed to cut his neck because of the termers his body was in. The dark crimson which used to give the former thief such joy now disgusted him and he cursed, tossing the knife into the sink. He'd deal with it later.

The kettle gave off an annoying whistle to indicate it was hot enough. Bakura turned the knob back to close the flame which he already disliked and mimicked the act of filling the ramen like Ryou had. He then grabbed a pair of chopsticks and made his way back up to Ryou's room. So it wasn't a five-star meal, but Bakura grinned to himself, proud he'd made something. "Ryou food's here." At first the boy didn't move. But when Bakura walked over, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the blankets off the boy, reveling Ryou's curled up form. The pride Bakura had felt slowly vanished as Ryou's brown eyes opened. "Sit up and eat something."

"I'm not hungry…" There was no way the boy could not be hungry. He was way too skinny.

Rolling his eyes, Bakura nodded toward the cup. "Yeah whatever. Eat. Now." When he didn't get a response, Bakura growled low. He didn't enjoy when he was disobeyed. Of course, he also didn't like weaklings or taking care of people… "Sit up and eat or I'll be forced to force feed you."

Ryou flinched a little and Bakura's tone but slowly sat up, keeping his eyes downcast. He still couldn't face Bakura. If Bakura really knew how weak he was, he would leave. And Bakura couldn't have that… He wouldn't be alone. Not again. "Bakura I'm really not hungry…" A low growl erupted from his stomach when the smell of the beef flavored noodles hit him.

"Ryou I am not telling you again. EAT." Bakura grabbed Ryou's right hand and put the cup in it, pushing the chopsticks in the cup. "And I mean eat all of it. Not a single bloody noodle better bet left, understand me?" Ryou kept looking away, still terrified to meet the Yami's eyes. This bothered Bakura and he bit back his anger. Instead he got to his feet and started to walk out. He needed to clear his head.

"Bakura!"

Again a panicked voice cried out and Bakura looked over his shoulder, wondering what happened now. "What?"

"…." He hadn't realized he'd spoke out loud and Ryou quickly lowered his head again to hide his eyes. "I… Would you please…" He was stuttering. He knew the answer he was about to ask so why annoy Bakura by asking it? But he didn't want to be alone. "W-Would you… please… st-stay…?" Bakura raised an eyebrow at the request. When he didn't respond, Ryou glanced at him but turned his head away. "Uh… N-Never min-"

"Will you eat?"

The older male turned around, crossing his arms over his chest as Ryou looked up at him. Brown eyes wide. "N-Nani?"

"If I stay, will you eat?"

Ryou frowned a little and looked down at the cup of noodles. He didn't want to eat. His body did, but he didn't. Of course, he also didn't want Bakura to leave. So with the slightest of nods, he spoke out. "Y-Yes…" Bakura grinned to himself then went back over to Ryou's bedside. He sat down on the floor with his back to the wall and shut his eyes. When Ryou hadn't moved Bakura made a move to leave but Ryou beat him to it and quickly took a bite. His body rejoiced at this and before he knew it he was scoffing down the noodles like it was the first thing he'd eaten in days. Which, it very well could have been for all Bakura knew.

After a while Bakura hadn't heard any noise from the boy so he opened his eyes and looked back. Ryou had fallen asleep, the now completely empty cup of noodles barely clutched in his hand. He had again curled himself up into a ball and even though the blankets were up to his waist, he shivered and let out a small whimper. Bakura frowned and took away the cup, pulling the blanket up more around Ryou. He stopped when his eyes fell on the bandaged arm which was still stained with blood. What was Ryou trying to pull? He knew the boy didn't have the best of lives, but he seemed so happy…

_It was a mask… I was right…_ Being connected to the younger male's mind at one point in time had tipped Bakura off to a few quirks about him. Like how he used to always jump over the last step on the stairs because his sister always had. Or how when he met someone new, he always looked away. _Weakness._ That's what Bakura always blamed it on. But now… Seeing just how messed up the boy was… The thief shook his head and let the covers fall around his former host's body_. All of this is just messing with my head. Tomorrow I'll get to the bottom of this and fix him so he can go back to the annoyingly chipper way he used to be._ With that Bakura meant to stand and leave. But he couldn't. Not anymore. So with an annoyed grunt he sat back on the floor, laying his head back and starring at the ceiling. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

…

**NOTE:** Short Chapter Is Short. Chapter 3! I tried to add some humor in there but it just made Bakura seem even MORE OOC. But I don't care. I don't wanna scare ya'll too much. Also incase this chapter didn't clear it up, Yes. The beginning of Chapter 2 is all a dream for Ryou and Bakura wakes him up from it. I tried to clear that up but between Stress and having to write 3 bloody English papers, it's kinda hard to think properly. But yeah. Just a little more Angst then I'll stop hurting poor Ryou. xD SO yeah… REVIEWS ARE CRACK~.

…

For some reason I keep ending the chapters with them sleeping. …Yeah I don't know why.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A sick feeling washed over Ryou and jerked himself awake, a cold sweat falling from his face. His stomach twisted and he quickly put a hand over his mouth, stumbling out of bed. He planted his foot down and nearly tripped over something that winced in protest. Ryou didn't think he could wait to see so he scrambled to his feet and ran, almost slamming himself into the door frame as he went to the bathroom. Not even having time to pull his hair back, Ryou dropped down on his knees and emptied the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl. Having not eaten anything, his stomach quickly ran out of things to throw up and Ryou ended up dry heaving, tears swimming in his brown eyes.

Bakura walked into the bathroom after having a rather abrupt wake up call. When he saw Ryou he frowned and leaned against the wall to wait until it passed. Not wanting to make Ryou feel awkward, Bakura let his gaze turn and he looked out the window. The sun had just risen which meant Ryou would be leaving for school soon. Not if he's smart he won't be. He looked back at the boy who was now leaning against the wall, panting. Bakura shoved off the wall and got a washcloth and wet it. "Here."

Ryou turned his head toward Bakura and saw the wet cloth. He reached a shaky hand up for it and wiped his mouth. Sweat had plastered his snow white hair to his face and his body was shivering. He tried to whisper a thank you to Bakura but all he could muster was a meek little 'thank'.

Bakura shrugged off the thanks and leaned against the counter, eyes looking Ryou over. He was still shaking and his usual flowing hair was still and his bangs stuck to his face. The baggy shirt and pants hid the all too skinny body of his former host and Bakura frowned. He had to do something about this if he wanted to go back to the way things were. "What are you trying to prove?" At his statement, Ryou looked up at him but found he still couldn't meet the others brown eyes. So he pulled his knees up and hugged them. Bakura propped himself up with his palms on the countertop and kept his eyes on Ryou. "I asked you a question boy. What in the hell do you think you're doing to yourself?"

He boy flinched a little and hugged his knees tighter, staring straight ahead. He couldn't answer Bakura. Why was he here anyway? Wasn't he the one who was preaching how 'weak' Ryou was? Why all of a sudden had he decided to care. He'd be lying if he said he minded it, but still. "Nothing…"

At that Bakura scoffed and pushed off the counter. "I'm no idiot boy. I know good and well you have a reason behind this. So how about you start talking? Making sure you don't kill yourself is not a hobby I want to pick up."

Ryou physically winced at the last few words. So Bakura knew… Of course he did. Bandages don't just appear on a person's arm.

_Wait…_ He glanced up at the Yami who was still waiting for a reply. When his milk chocolate eyes met Bakura's much darker one's he quickly looked away again. _I still can't face him…_ "I just… don't see the point."

"Point in _what_ exactly?" The Thief King raised an eyebrow, trying to make sense of the boy. Least he was talking now.

"In… living." Ryou whispered the last word, hiding his face in his arms. He didn't want to show anymore weakness to Bakura. It was bad enough he'd spent the last day or so looking after him. Why should he see just how weak Ryou really was?

He thought as much. _I mean, why else would he be holding a knife to his own throat? _But to hear Ryou say it… It rather shocked Bakura. "So you tried killing yourself? How did that work out for you?" He couldn't keep the anger out of his voice and he regretted it when Ryou's grip on his legs tightened and he flinched away.

"Apparently not all that well. Guess it's just something else you can mark up there with things I fail at Bakura."

Now that comment took Bakura by shock. "And just what in the hell does that mean?"

Ryou finally looked at him, brown eyes still brimming with tears. "You know exactly what it means." He narrowed his gaze, the corner of his lips turning into a frown. "Why are you even here? Last time I checked I was just some little weakling you used to get what you wanted. I annoyed you and the only reason you were here is because you didn't want to find anywhere else to go. So just why exactly ARE you here Bakura? What are you trying o prove? So you hope maybe I'll slip up some more so you can just point that out as well? Or maybe you just want another reason to call me weak and useless. I don't know why you even bother! I've known that! Why do you think-"

He was cut off mid-rant when his stomach heaved again and he was hovering over the bowl as he once again puked up anything else his body could find. Bakura blinked a little and frowned. _Where the hell did that come from?_ Ryou hadn't said that much to him for as long as they had been forced together. He'd be lying if he said that didn't relieve him a little though. Ryou was at least showing some sign of life again. Rather it was out of the blue of the cheerful one that always had a smile. Of course, he wasn't all to happy that the boy was throwing up stuff his body didn't have to offer.

"Well if you've got that out of your system," Ryou sat back against the wall again, wiping his mouth with the cloth. Tears were now falling from his eyes which gave them a glassy appearance. With a little effort he turned his head to the side to look at Bakura. "How about you tell me just what in the hell made you start this?"

Ryou wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt and rested his head back against the wall. He hadn't meant to go off on Bakura. He also wasn't sure why he had or why Bakura was still standing there. The Bakura HE knew would have either hit him for speaking to him like that or laughed in his face and walked out. More than likely the first option. So Ryou risked looking at the former thief again and swallowed hard. "I don't want to be alone anymore…"

It was a quiet answer and Bakura almost didn't catch it. Ryou's voice dropped back down to the whisper he was speaking in earlier and his body slumped back against the wall, weak from the blood loss and dry heaving. "And this just hit you now?"

Ryou shook his head slowly and lowered his eyes to the floor. "No… I've always hated being alone. When father would leave… it would kill me. Being the only one in that house, being the only one to fend for yourself, nobody else to see or talk to you. How are you supposed to survive without someone there to justify you?" His body was in a large amount of pain, he could tell, but it was at the point where it was numbing now. That little outburst at Bakura (Which he felt just awful about now, even if it was true) took a lot out of him. Ryou took a deep breath and hugged his knees, not wanting to see Bakura's reaction to what he was about to admit. "It… scares me, being alone… It terrifies me."

Bakura watched Ryou, not knowing what to say next. He wasn't good at this sort of thing. It was more along the Pharaoh's idea of a 'good deed'. The Thief King could care less about how people felt. Yet here he was, encouraging Ryou to open up to him. _I've spent too much time around the blasted good-doers and their so called 'King of Games'. _That reminded him of something. Where had those idiots been anyway? Wasn't Ryou apart of that annoying group? "How can you be alone with those 'friendship' obsessed morons all over you? Aren't they your friends or something?"

Ryou flinched a little when Bakura brought that up and kept hugging his knees. "They won't talk to me anymore…"

"And why the hell not?"

"I-…" Ryou stopped himself and shook his head. He wouldn't tell Bakura this. "We just drifted apart."

Bakrua frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Ryou never was a good liar. Hence why when they had to share a body, Bakura would be the one to lie. Well that and Ryou didn't have much to lie about where as Bakura did. "Ryou you are a terrible liar. You are aware of this correct?"

Ryou looked at him but sighed and nodded his head. "I know…"

"So are you going to tell me the real reason?" Ryou shook his head no and Bakura rolled his eyes. He'd find out sooner or later. Right now he was just relieved Ryou was talking and not trying to cut himself. Speaking of that, Ryou's arm needed to be looked at. With all the bleeding he couldn't see how deep the wounds were. "Let me see your arm." He kneeled down to Ryou who looked at him and shook his head again. "Ryou I'm not asking you," He turned the boy's chin so he was forced to look him in the eye. "I'm telling you. Now let me see your arm."

Ryou swallowed hard, a faint blush dusting his cheeks red from how close he was to Bakura. In an attempt to hide it, he carefully lifted his arm up for Bakura to see. Bakura nodded in approval and unwrapped the crimson soaked bandages until they fell to the floor and reveled the many cuts going up Ryou's arm.

The younger boy sucked in a sharp gasp and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see anymore. Why hadn't he just ended it there when he had the chance? Bakura cast him a glance but kept looking over the gashes. A few were still not sealed and having the bandage removed made them start to bleed again. Others were shut, but still gory. He sighed in his head and grabbed a new bandage and wrapped it around Ryou's slender arm. The boy winced a little but stayed still for the most part.

When he had pinned it in place, Bakura got to his feet and looked down at Ryou. "You should eat something." Ryou made a disgusted face and shook his head slowly. Bakura grinned a little but walked out of the cramped bathroom. "Less you want to make yourself completely ill, I'd get something solid in your stomach."

He knew he was right so Ryou let out a small sigh and gripped the side of the tub, pulling himself up and following Bakura after the bathroom. The idea of eating wasn't really all that appealing at the moment, but neither was puking his cuts out. As Bakura started to walk down the stairs and Ryou followed, he suddenly stopped and looked back at him. "The hell do you think you're going?"

Ryou blinked confused and pointed towards the kitchen. "To get something to eat…?" Again, his statement was more in the form of a question.

Bakura shook his head and pointed toward the bedroom. "You are going to go lay back down. How in the bloody hell do you expect to cook anything if you can't even walk down the stairs?"

"So… does this mean you're going to be cooking for me again?" A smile spread across Ryou's face as the idea sunk in. One that made Bakura blink and quickly turn back around to finish walking down the stairs.

"Just go lay back down like I said boy." With that Bakura walked into the kitchen, leaving a dumb founded Ryou standing on the top of the stairs. He resisted the urge to run after him and cling to Bakura's shirt. Instead he swallowed hard and walked back to his room with the help of the wall, hoping Bakura would return.

…

**NOTE:** DONE. I put off an English paper! :D …Again. Bah oh well. Tendershipping demanded attention and so it was given! Oh and I've found a few songs that go with this story if you wanted to 'set the mood' more. "The Kill" by: 30 Seconds to Mars is a really good one. Think it describes Ryou's outlook like… perfectly. So it's like the official theme of this story. If you listen to the words and picture Ryou saying them to Bakura it's like EPIC. "Save A Life" by: The Fray is another really good one simply because it just is. "So I Thought" by: Flyleaf is a good one too. It's also a good one from Ryou's point of view about keeping his fear locked up. If you have any more songs let me know! Music helps inspiration! :D Well I'll shut up now.  
OH HEY. This story didn't end with people going to bed! CHEERS!


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ryou sat on his bed looking out his window. The sun was almost gone, painting the sky a mix of purple and pink. A few stars poked through and off in the distance the moon was starting to come out. He sighed and hugged his knees. It was a stance that made him feel secure. It didn't look it, but it did. He had stopped caring how he looked now. He'd stop caring about a lot of things honestly. About school, about eating, about his so called 'friends', and about… living. The thought made him wince and he closed his chocolate brown eyes as tears seeped through his closed lids.

_What have I done? I can't even kill myself properly…_

A knock on his door brought him back to reality and Ryou quickly wiped his eye in time for his reflection to walk inside. Bakura had the same old 'you-are-such-a-bother' look on his face as he walked over to the albino boy and then looked out at the window. "Keeping yourself locked up like this isn't going to fix anything." Ryou looked up at Bakura. For some reason he had been looking after Ryou. Which really surprised the boy. Bakura wasn't the type of person to care about anyone but himself. Yes when they shared a body Bakura had protected Ryou, but that was because he relied on the boy. Now he had his own body and no longer needed Ryou.

A part of Ryou was very thankful. Bakura hadn't left him. Even when he could, Bakura still remained with him. But he didn't care. Didn't care what Ryou did or what happened. If he were to wind up on the news dead, Bakura's only thought would be who was going to cook for him now.

_Or so… I thought._ Ryou looked back at the Thief King who still had his eyes transfixed on the growing darkness outside the window. Why was Bakura taking care of him? He no longer served a purpose to the Thief. The Sennen items were no longer around and the Pharaoh was back in his own time. He had no other reason to try and keep Ryou alive anymore. A pain in his arm reminded him of just what he had done and his eyes went down to his fresh bandaged arm. The bleeding had finally stopped and they got to see just how much damage Ryou had done to himself two days ago.

Two day's… Seemed like it was yesterday. No he didn't regret what he had done. The only thing he felt bad about was that Bakura had seen and caught him. That the Thief King was being forced to tend to him now. _Well no, I don't mind that actually._ Ryou let his eyes wonder back to said Yami. He was now dressed in a black T-shirt and had on a dark pair of lose fitting pj bottoms. The white hair that matched Ryou's own only spikier was wet from the shower he had just taken and he dampened the shirt a bit.

Bakura felt watched so he looked over at Ryou whose cheeks turned a light shade of pink and looked away. The thief raised an eyebrow but blamed it on the boy's blood loss. "That'll wait I guess. Get some sleep. You're still too weak to do much else." With that Bakura turned and started walking out the door.

Ryou's heart skipped a beat but he resisted the urge to call out to his former Yami. Bakura glanced back at the boy but Ryou laid back and faced the wall so Bakura wouldn't see the fear on his face. Frowning a little, Bakura walked out and shut the door behind him. He went back to his own room and started to shut the door behind him. He stopped though and glanced down the hall at Ryou's room. With an annoyed grunt at himself, he left the door open and went over to his own bed and fell back, resting his arm behind his head and starring up at the ceiling. He had to figure out just what in the hell was going on in this house or he was libel to drive himself insane! …More so then he already was.

…

A loud scream jerked Bakura awake and it took all he had not to grab one of his knifes in his run out the door. A knife would not be the best thing to have around what caused the scream. Throwing open Ryou's door he looked around the light's room, eyes once again searching for the skiny form of the boy. The covers were kicked completely off the bed and the pillows were on the floor. Ryou was missing from the bed and the Thief felt panic started to rise again. Focus! Remembering where he had found the boy when he cut himself, he quickly went over to the dresser and found Ryou, curled up and holding his head. His body was shaking violently and his pale hands gripped his snow-white hair so tight, his knuckles were almost the same shade.

"Ryou!" The milk chocolate eyes were starring down and appeared to be in a daze. This worried Bakura and he put his hands on the boy's slender shoulders and squeezed as he had the night he found him in the kitchen. "Ryou look at me!" He shook him lightly but Ryou didn't move. He shivered more, gripping his hair.

"No… No please don't leave me!"

Bakura's eyes widened a bit. _"__It… scares me, being alone… It terrifies me." _Not thinking about what he was doing, Bakura pulled Ryou to him, wrapping his arms around the light's body. "Hikari you aren't alone. I'm right here. I promise I'm not going anywhere." The shivering boy in his arms slowly snaked his arms around the thief, clinging to the warmth Bakura gave off. Bakura looked down at him and frowned. What _the hell am I doing? Push him away! Send him to bed and get the hell out of here!_ His inner voice was having a fit in his head but Bakura couldn't leave. Before he registered just what he was doing, he was stroking Ryou's hair and murmuring things he assumed would calm the light down.

And it did. After a few minutes, Ryou shakily sat away, unwrapping his arms from around Bakura's waist. Bakura looked at him, a frown across his face. "Are you okay? You didn't cut yourself again did you?" Ryou flinched at the thought but shook his head. The Yami never was any good at phrasing things 'gently'. The light was still somewhat out of it, but he was answering Bakura at least. "C'mon." Bakura got to his feet and grabbed Ryou's right arm, pulling the boy to his feet.

Ryou stumbled a little and fell against Bakura. "S-Sorry…" Bakura sighed a little but mumbled a 'don't be' helping the light back to his bed. Ryou curled up again as Bakura pulled the covers over him. He knew better then to try and walk out this time so he sat on the end of the bed, resting his arms on his legs. His head was bowed a little as he starred down at the carpet.

After a little bit Bakura glanced back over at the boy who he couldn't tell if he was getting better or worse. Ryou drifted back to sleep, lips parted and his breathing was even. His white hair spilled across the pillow and he shivered deeper into the blankets. A small smile crept onto the Thief King's face as he watched his former host sleep. For once he didn't seem like the scared helpless boy Ryou had been. Leaving the Hikari's sleeping form, Bakura looked out the window. It was dark now, the stars and moon being the only things that gave off light. Below he was sure the street lights were on, but the window only shown in the sky's natural light.

_Like the God's intended… _The former tomb robber sighed to himself, defeated. There was no getting out of this now. He was going to fix what had been broken if it killed him. Because he'd damn his soul to hell again before he let it kill Ryou.

…

Ryou woke up and yawned, looking around his room. Sunshine now shone through the window and the clock beside his bed now read 9:47am. Thankfully it was Sunday so he wouldn't have to miss anymore school. As he sat up, he looked around his room and realized Bakura was once again missing from it. Growing a little panicked, he quickly got to his feet and tried to find his balance. He hadn't really walked for a few days' now not to mention how weak his body was. With a little more effort then it needed, Ryou managed to get to the door and open it. "Bakura…" His voice was quiet, still half asleep and weak. The loudest he'd spoken in a long time was the other night when he went off on Bakura. I really should apologize to him for that… Ryou decided when he found the Thief he'd say sorry. But now, he wanted to be sure he wasn't alone.

The stairs held a slightly bigger challenge to the light as he gripped the rail with both arms, his left one stinging in protest as he wobbled down. When his feet were securely on the landing, he let go and looked around. "Bakura?" He asked again, starting to worry.

A noise from the kitchen made him turn his head and there stood the Yami, looking at him shocked. "What the hell are you doing out of bed?"

"I was… looking for you." For once his response wasn't in the form of a question as he smiled at the Yami, relieved he really was still there.

Bakura frowned a little and shook his head. "That is not a good excuse. You don't need to be pushing yourself let alone walking down stairs." He was being a little protective and he realized this. But at this point, he didn't give a fuck anymore. All he wanted were to things to go back to how they used to be. And the only way for that to happen would be by getting Ryou healthy and annoyingly cheerful again.

"I'm feeling better. Really." The light tried to give Bakura a reassuring smile but the former thief didn't buy it. Ryou sighed a bit and glanced away toward the kitchen to try and take the focus off of himself. That's when the smell of something burning got his attention and he raised an eyebrow, looking at Bakura. "Are you… cooking?"

Bakura's eyes widened a bit. "Shit!" He turned quickly and jerked the toaster out of the wall just intime for two solid black things (which Ryou was going to assume was bread) to pop up and cause the thief to let another couple of swear out and damn the toaster to the 6th level of hell.

Upon seeing this, Ryou couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Had the Yami gone through all this for him? Bakura heard the giggle and looked over trying to hide the shock in his eyes. The light laughed... So it wasn't the boy's normal one, but it was a laugh none the less. Bakura grinned a bit but quickly turned to glare at the now beyond burnt pieces of toast. "Well this was supposed to be breakfast but that didn't work out so well…" He muttered what Ryou thought was 'damn mortals and their bread makers' and tossed the pitch black lumps into the trash.

Ryou smiled and walked over, trying to hide the fact he still wasn't all that great on his feet. "How about I cook something?" Bakura frowned and opened his mouth to protest but Ryou beat him to it. "Just something little alright? And I really do feel better Bakura." He smiled a little again, one that made Bakura close his mouth and quickly turn away.

"Fine. But don't cry to me when you fall and bust your head open on the cabinet or something." With that he walked out and Ryou could hear the sound of the TV being turned on.

A little bit later Bakura walked back into the kitchen to find a 2 plates of eggs, bacon, toast, and a glass of milk on the table. Ryou was pouring a glass for himself and turned around, smiling when he saw Bakura. Bakura just frowned a little at the boy, a disappointed look across his features. "I told you to take it easy."

"But… I did. I was just hungry is all." Ryou blinked a little confused. He hoped he hadn't upset him. That was the last thing he wanted to do… Bakura just sighed and sat down at his usual spot and dug into the food in front of him. Ryou sat down as well and started eating.

When Ryou finished, Bakura had his elbow propped up on the table and his head resting in his palm. He was munching on the last piece of bacon while his eyes stared out the window. Ryou kept his eyes on the Yami, trying to find the words he wanted to say but most latterly drawing a blank.

Bakura once again felt the boy looking at him so he turned his head, giving the light a questioning gaze. "Somethin' wrong?" He spoke with his mouthful, munching on the last bite of bacon.

"Ah! Uh… N-no…" Ryou's face flushed a little and looked down at his hands. "I just… wanted to apologize…"

"Apologize for what?" The Yami sat back in his chair, waiting for Ryou to explain.

"For… the other night. When I… yelled at you… I didn't mean it." There was a quiet pause then Bakura let out a laugh that got Ryou's attention. He looked up at the thief confused. "What?"

"Ryou I could care less about that. Honestly I'm kind of happy you did. Sparked some life in you if you ask me." He grinned a bit, remembering how Ryou glared at him. But that did remind him of something he had been meaning to ask the light. He'd been putting it off until Ryou was doing better and now seemed like a good time. "Ryou how about you tell me just why exactly Yuugi and then stopped hanging around you?"

As soon as the question was out, Bakura regretted it. Ryou's face dropped and he looked down at his hands, seeming to sink down lower into his chair. "I-I told you… We just drifted apart."

"And I told you that you are a terrible liar. Always have been."

After a few minutes of silence, Ryou took in a deep breath. He may as well tell Bakura. After all, he was kind of why he and his friends no longer spoke. "When… Atem went back to his own time and you got your own body and moved back here, we tried doing things like they used to be. But they weren't happy with me. They didn't understand why I let you stay here with me and hadn't told you to leave…" Ryou spoke quietly and it was hard for Bakura to hear him. He didn't like where this story was going but he surpassed his anger, not wanting to interrupt the light when he was finally giving him a clue as to what triggered this. "They… assumed you were forcing me to allow you to stay with me. And the blamed any injury I got on you…"

The tomb runner gritted his teeth. He really didn't like where this was going… "I told them I was just clumsy and you weren't making me let you stay here. That I… wanted you to be here with me. But they didn't believe me. Jou even tried as far as to come here and… make you leave." Ryou brought his knees up and hugged them again. "Eventually I got a little annoyed and snapped at them when they brought you up. They said they were tired of trying to help me if I was just going to refuse them… So I wasn't really lying when I said we drifted apart…" Ryou wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt, not allowing the tears to fall from his eyes.

Acorss the table, it was taking everything Bakura had not to storm out of the house and hunt down all of those brats and give them a piece of his mind and the feel of his fist. Or knife. Whichever. But there was something else he wanted to ask the boy. "Why… DID you not protest against me staying here? Seems it would have solved all of your problems if I left."

Ryou looked at him, doe eyes once again glassy. He shook his head a few times then let his eyes fall back down to the floor. "I told you Bakura… I'm afraid to be alone. And… I didn't want you to leave me."

…

NOTE: Derp yeah. Not as much Angst this time around guys! Whootz! And this chapter ALSO didn't end with people going to sleep! Oh and kudos and cookies to _Lilac Rose6_ for guessing what happened with Ryou and the gang. :D Remember. REVIEWS ARE CRACK~


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

A few days had past and Ryou was appearing to do better. He was eating a little more, the pale cheeks started to retain a bit of color, and now and then a smile would cross his lips. Not as often as it had in the past, but least it was a smile. Bakura was still keeping a careful eye on the boy and put the knives in a more… 'secure' location. The sick feeling from all of the blood Ryou had lost was almost gone and Ryou had started to go back to school.

That was where the British boy was now while Bakura laid back on the couch, mind not really focusing on the crime show it was showing. His dark brown eyes kept glancing on the clock in the kitchen until he grew so annoyed with himself, he threw a pillow at it to knock it off the counter. He was getting sick of being worried about the light. Ryou was better so he should be able to get life back to normal… right?

The hall clock stroke 6pm and informed the Yami that he was wrong. Ryou should have been home two hours ago. Since Yuugi and his so called friends had decided to shun Ryou, he'd been home right after school day after day. Bakura got up and flipped the TV off. It wasn't good at keeping his mind preoccupied like he had hoped it would. So with an annoyed sigh at himself, Bakura grabbed his jacket and slipped a pair of shoes on. He'd just go find the boy, drag him home, and that was that. So with a grunt at the cold air that greeted the Yami, he shoved his hands in the pockets of the hoodie and walked towards Domino High.

_I walk the allies in the dark, I leave the door unlocked. I'm weaving a rope and running all the red lights. Did I get your attention? 'Cause I'm sending all the signs. The clock is ticking and I'll be giving my two weeks. Pick your favorite shade of black. You'd best prepare a speech. Say something funny, say something sweet. This sickness has no cure. Already lost grip; best abandon ship._

Bakura cursed the fall weather has the cold wind blew his hair around his face. It didn't help that it was already in the evening so the sun was starting to go down. Luckily the High School was in sight so Bakura stopped when he saw the gates. They were closed and locked, dismissing school for the weekend. That of course meant none of the students were in there. The way he took was the route home Ryou took so he should have ran into the light if he was in the process of going home. So where the hell was he?

Sighing annoyed, Bakura pulled the jacket around himself tighter and looked around as if searching for some sign as to where to go next. His feet took him toward the market Ryou bought food and such at, but the boy wasn't there. He could tell. Ryou stuck out with his charming looks. Girls seemed to follow him so no cluster of girls meant no Hikari.

The sun was almost gone now and Bakura was staring to grow more annoyed. He also found himself getting worried. Not that he would ever admit it, but it was true. "Damn it Ryou. Of all the days, you had to pick the coldest fucking one." The Yami shivered a little, quickening his pace. He told himself it was because he wanted to hurry and get home, but Bakura knew that wasn't the real reason.

A yellow building with a green roof caught the man's attention and he stopped, eyes narrowing on the red letters spelling out 'GAME'. Bakura knew Ryou wouldn't be inside this place. The boy didn't have the courage to go around people who didn't want him there. Still he was starting to get desperate. The sun was gone and it was getting late. If worse came to worse, he could knock some sense into the idiot 'King of Games' then get back to his search.

So Bakura forcefully pushed the door open and looked around, dark brown eyes staying narrow. Suddenly a patter of feet came down and the familiar multi-colored hair midget appeared before the thief king. "Sorry but we're clos- Bakura?" Yuugi blinked up at the Yami, eyes wide. He'd only seen the thief a few times since the Pharaoh had left and never expected to see him again after the falling out with Ryou. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Funny. I was going to ask you the same." Bakura glared, resisting the urge to grab the boy and shove him against the wall. "Never did figure out why you weren't banished into the shadow realm. Guess Marik didn't try hard enough."

The conversation got the attention of the others and soon Honda, Jou, and Anzu were also starring wide eye at the Yami. Jou spoke first, moving in front of Yuugi. "Get lost Bakura. We ain't done nothing to-"

"Ah I beg to differ. You see if that were the case, then my former host would have someone other than myself to talk to." His eyes moved over the group, falling on Yuugi. "And the last person I'd expect this from would be you."

"Ryou walked away from us Bakura." Honda said, moving up with Jou to defend Anzu and Yuugi if needed.

"Yeah so why don't ya get lost!"

"Oh I don't intend on staying any longer then need be. I was seeing if by chance Ryou had wondered in here. But I see Hikari is finally smart enough to see he doesn't need idiots like you as 'friends'. Quite honestly I'm rather happy you did what you did. Makes life a lot simpler when I don't have to put up with you four."

This time Anzu spoke up, blue eyes focusing on Bakura. "We tried to help Ryou! We tried to get him away from YOU!"

This earned her a death glare from the Yami. "You tried to help him? Do you know what your 'help' did onna? Thanks to you he feels alone!"

"Ya the one who made him alone Bakura!" Jou spoke again, hands bawled into fists. "Or did ya forget what all ya did ta him?"

"Oh I'm well aware what I did to him. That's what makes us different. I'm trying to find him while you idiots are content letting him kill himself!" With that Bakura turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

_No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in. But we feel like we do when we make fun of him. 'Cause you want to belong, do you go along? 'Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong. It's not like you hate him or want him to die. But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide. Any kindness from you might have saved his life._

"What the hell was that about?" Jou looked back at his three friends, getting just as confused expressions.

"Yeah. The guy walks in here, throws a fit, then leaves. Whats up with that?" Honda sat back on the counter as Jou leaned against a wall. "And what did he mean 'we're fine letting him kill himself'? What does that mean?"

"Who knows? It's Bakura, remember? The only thing you can trust him with is that he'd kill you first chance he got." Anzu sighed. She felt bad about what happened to Ryou and them. It wasn't really his fault Bakura wouldn't leave. Well at first. But it seemed he wanted Bakura to stay with him.

Yuugi hadn't said anything. He wasn't sure what to say honestly. He never wanted to leave Ryou alone. It wasn't right and he felt awful about it. What Bakura had said was running through his head. Suddenly his eyes winded and this got the attention of his friends.

"Yug? Ya okay buddy?"

"Guy's I think… I think Ryou tried to kill himself." This got his friends to mirror his wide-eye shock and a small gasp from Anzu.

"Kill himself? Why would he do that?" Honda spoke now, a little disturbed by that.

"Think about what Bakura said. Ryou felt he only had him to talk to, he said that he felt alone, and not to forget that 'killing himself' bit… Guy's I really think Ryou did feel alone and tried to take his life." The boy looked up at his friends, his lips turned into a frown. "And if I had to guess, Ryou's gone. That's why Bakura came here. I think he was looking for him."

"Yuugi do you know how crazy that sounds? Ryou's like the happiest guy I know! No way he'd ever try that." Jou said, shaking his head.

"Yeah and like Anzu said. You can't trust Bakura."

"Well I'm going to help Bakura. Ryou's still my friend and friends help each other out no matter what. I'd do the same for any of you." With that the shorter boy grabbed his coat and ran out to go see if he could assist the Yami.

"Y-Yuugi!" Anzu frowned a little. She looked back at the other two boys then grabbed her own jacket and ran after him.

"Anzu you can't really trust Bakura too can you?" Jou and Honda looked at her, doubt in their eyes.

Anzu looked back at them and shook her head. "I don't care for Bakura anymore then you guys do, but Yuugi's right. Ryou was our friend and we shouldn't have left him like that. Even if Bakura's lying, we owe it to Ryou." With that she turned and ran off, not seeing the annoyed grumble and run the other two males did.

"Wait up you guys!"

_Wrapped in all the promises that nobody seems to keep. He no longer cries to himself, no tears left to wash away. Just diaries full of empty pages, feelings gone astray. Walking through life unnoticed; nobody seems to care. Too consumed in their masquerade, nobody sees him there. Burning down lies, burning my dreams. And all of this pain, I'll burn it all down._

Bakura stopped when he heard yelling and glared back at the four following him. "What the hell do you mortals want? I have more pressing matters then to beat you brats senseless!"

"We just want to help Bakura." Yuugi looked up at the man who looked similar to Ryou, only darker.

"Oh so now you want to help? Well don't. He doesn't need your pity nor does he want it. So just get lost!"

"Just shut up already! We're here ta find Ryou and not fight!"

Bakura sent his ice cold glare at Jou, canine like teeth showing. "I'll say it slowly. I. Don't. Need. It."

"Then do you know where Ryou is?" Anzu spoke up, frowning when Bakura didn't meet her eyes.

"Please Bakura. We really are worried about Ryou. We want to find him and apologize. You need our help." Yuugi spoke up, trying to convince the Yami he was right.

Bakura glanced at him but turned and went off. He didn't say a word which made Yuugi smile a little but they quickly followed, searching for the boy who was God only knew where.

_Another night and I bleed. They all make mistakes and so did we. But we did something we can never turn back right. Find a new one to fool. Leave and don't look back, I won't follow. We have nothing left; it's the end of our time. We can't cry the pain away. We can't find a need to stay. There's no more rabbits in my hat to make things right. Tell them the fairytale gone bad.  
_

Bakura was running out of breath and he couldn't remember the last time he ran this much. The city was pitch black and the only life was the birds that would fly off disturbed by the human's awake. Behind the Yami he could hear the faint cry's of 'Ryou' given off by the other four members of the search and Bakura had to stop against a wall to catch his breath.

That's when it hit him.

A very faint smell but he knew this. Kul Elna, his life in Egypt, and the murderous Yami he was trained his senses and he picked up the bitter-sweet scent he had smelled days earlier. "Fuck not again!" Bakura stumbled over his own feet as he shoved off the wall and ran down the alley. His heart rate sped up but not from the running. Panic consumed the thief and it only grew when he shoved a trash can out of the way to reveal the pale boy he'd been searching for this whole night.

"Ryou!" Bakura quickly fell to his knees and grabbed the boy by his shoulders, tipping his chin up to see Ryou's eyes. The usually light brown eyes were shut and his head dropped back down. Panic flowing through him, Bakura quickly grabbed one of the bloody arms and felt around until a faint '_ba-bump'_ was felt but it was slow. "Ryou you idiot wake up!"

This time Ryou had a dark circle around one of his eyes and the blue school uniform was torn in many places by knife and hand. There was a deep wound in Ryou's lower waist not to mention the many covering his upper arms and cheeks. There was a wide cut going to his right arm and many smaller ones that were self inflected on his left. "Damn it Ryou why? Wake up and answer me!" The light didn't move, sending Bakura back to the first day he found Ryou huddled in his room. Something stuck itself in the thief's throat but he shoved it away, grabbing Ryou's shoulders and lightly shaking him.

Behind him Yuugi and the others had found them, starring in horror at the sight. "Ryou please! I'm right here! You're not alone anymore! I swear to you I'm here! Just wake up!" No response was given and Bakura put his hands on either side of the light's face, trying to get some sort of reaction. "Ryou I order you to open your eyes and look at me! You are NOT allowed to leave this world do you understand me? WAKE UP."

Slowly milk chocolate eyes opened, looking into Bakura's darker ones. "B-Bakura…"

"Ryou you idiot! What were you thinking?"

Ryou winced, body shaking. "Don't ask what you already know Bakura… Please just leave and let me die here."

"No." it was the only firm response Bakura got and he went to pick the boy up only to be shoved away, Ryou slumping back against the wall.

"Bakura just go. I'm not doing anything to you so just please leave." He coughed, blood spilling from his pale lips.

"I'm not leaving you and that's that."

Ryou opened his eyes, the movement taking more effort than it should. "Would you just please leave? I'm not hurt-"

"I do not take orders from half conscious boys." Bakura said sternly, a frown setting itself on his lips. He was getting annoyed of Ryou resisting and worried at the amount of blood spilling out of the boy.

"Then maybe you'll take it from a weakling. After all that's all I am isn't it? Some weak little boy you used to get what you wanted? Now just go. We all know you'd be better off without me."

"The hell I would be!" Bakura said, those last few words angering him more then they probably should have. He looked Ryou in the eye as best he could with the light not being able to focus.

"And why is that?" Ryou did the best he could at glaring, trying desperately to make the older male go away. He wanted to die and Bakura was making that difficult. His words were annoying the Yami and he pressed harder, trying to make the man leave.

"Because I love you!"

This took the boy by shock and he wasn't the only one. The four on lookers in the alley starred at the couple in front of them. Had Bakura just said what they thought he had?

"You-…What?"

"I love you, you idiot!" Bakura frowned, looking into Ryou's eyes. "That's why you can't die. That's why I won't leave you. That's why I haven't."

Ryou was speechless at that. He bit his lower lip, eyes falling downcast as tears slipped down his cheeks. "Bakura would you please… just leave me. Lying only hurts worse. I-… I just want to go. Please sto-"

"I'm not lying Ryou!" The former tomb robber jerked Ryou's chin up, and forced the boy to meet his gaze. "I don't know when it happened, but it did. Would I be out here in this Ra-awful weather with the friendship squad I can't stand looking for you in the dead of night if I didn't?" Bakura frowned, his voice growing softer from its usual gruff tone. "I love you Ryou."

Ryou quickly shook his head. He was starting to believe him. God he wanted to believe him. He wanted so badly for Bakura to love him. Wanted it more than he ever had wanted anything else. But there was no way that could happen. Bakura was telling him what he wanted to hear and that's all there was to it.

"Fine." Bakura placed his hands on either side of the lights head and shut his eyes, pressing his lips against the lights pale cold ones. Ryou's eyes winded, as did the onlookers in the alley. More salty tears fell down his face as he gave in and kissed the Yami back. Even if Bakura was lying and he didn't love him, he was still trying to save Ryou. And if he didn't care, why would he bother?

After a few more seconds, Bakura pulled away and looked down at his light. Ryou looked back at him then shut his eyes tight and threw himself into Bakura sobbing. The thief put his arms around the boy and slowly picked him up. He needed to get him medical attention before the boy died of blood loss. As he walked out of the alley, he didn't even give the red-faced spectators a second glance as he held the light in his arms.

_I will never let you fall. I will stand by you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to Heaven. It's okay. 'Cause you're my true love, my whole heart. 'Cause I'm here for you. Please don't walk away. And please tell me you'll stay. Use me as you will. Pull my strings just for a thrill. And I know I'll be okay even though my skies are turning grey. I will never let you fall. I will stand by you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to Heaven._

**NOTE: **Oh hai der. Yes I know. Corny songs are corny and sappy. But I picked them (if you hadn't figured it out) to explain sort of what was happening to Ryou while Bakura searched for him. Yeah… ANGSTY LOVE. But I don't want this thing to be like…. Mega super stretched out so it had to end. So I really hope you liked it! :D And in case you're wondering, the songs (in order) are as followed: "_I'm Still Breathing_" by Katy Perry, "_Hero Too_" by Supershic[k], "_Everything Burns_" by Anastacia, "_Fairytale Gone Bad_" by sunrise Avenue, and "_Your Guardian Angel_" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Obviously I don't own ANY of the songs let alone _Yu-Gi-Oh!._ So chaya. Don't sue me kplzthx.


	8. The End

I wasn't lying when I said I don't know when this happened.

I'm not sure when I realized I felt this way for him. It's not like me and I know this.

Maybe this is what the God's meant by 'learning a lesson the Pharaoh had'?

Who knows.

But as I walk through these halls, down the familiar halls of the house I was allowed to share, and into the room I've spent the last month in, I see the reason of this sudden change.

He sits out on the roof looking up at the setting sky. White hair moves around his face and the wounds on his arm are almost completely healed. Scars mark his skin, a reminder of the loneliness he felt he was in.

He's not alone anymore. Neither of us are.

I walk out and climb through the window, joining him on the rooftop. He looks over at me and smiles. "Yuugi came over today to see how I'm doing." I grunt an acknowledgement that I heard him. I'm still not pleased with the group.

He rest's his head on my shoulder, closing his eyes. "Thank you Bakura."

"For?" I ask, glancing down at him.

"For saving me." His fingers interlace with my own. I've become his 'security blanket' so to say.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Don't thank me Hikari." I tilt his head up, locking my eyes with his. "I just returned the favor."

His brown eyes get a little glassy and I kiss away the one tear that slips out. "I love you Bakura…"

I kiss his sweet lips, pulling away for just a second. "I love you too Ryou."

My Hikari. My white haired landlord. The one who holds the Sennen Ring, my soul, and now my heart.


End file.
